{"id":15041,"date":"2018-11-29T08:00:11","date_gmt":"2018-11-29T16:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/Becomeimmersed.com\/?p=15041"},"modified":"2019-11-28T13:47:02","modified_gmt":"2019-11-28T21:47:02","slug":"chained-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/becomeimmersed.com\/chained-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Chained Perfectly Blends Virtual Reality & Immersive Theater in this Classic Tale"},"content":{"rendered":"
Some stories resonate so strongly with our culture that their narrative becomes inextricably intertwined with it. The story of a miser that learns the true meaning of Christmas after three ghostly visitors review his past and foretell his future has been adapted in twenty-eight different film versions dating back to 1901, as well as numerous radio plays, operas, ballets, animations, Broadway musicals, and even a BBC mime production. And while the average audience member may think that this classic tale has been adapted and remixed in every conceivable manner possible\u2014they would be wrong. <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Creator Justin Denton (Legion FX<\/em> HoloLens experience at SDCC 2017) and Executive Producer Ethan Stearns of Madison Wells Media (producer of the critically acclaimed VR experience Carne y Arena<\/em>) have teamed up to create an innovative and absolutely breathtaking version of A Christmas Carol <\/em>called Chained<\/em>. Combining the intimacy and personalization of a single-participant immersive experience with the limitless potential of a virtual-reality (VR) experience, this version of the Charles Dickens classic offers numerous surprises that both circumvent expectation and give the participant a unique connection to the story.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re one to trust me on this, stop reading here and experience this immersive virtual experience (IVE) with no further spoilers. The magic of stepping into a familiar story that is refracted through an immersive lens is something that should be preserved. But if you need a little more information, you\u2019re welcome to read on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Chained<\/em> places you directly in the role of Scrooge, making this a personal, meaningful, and interactive experience. The VR headset allows you to cross over into the spirit world of 19th<\/sup>-century London and come face to face with Bob Marley and the ghosts of your past, present, and future. But these spirits aren\u2019t just virtual beings haunting your peripherals\u2014no, in Chained<\/em>, these spirits are all played by the extremely versatile and powerful Michael Bates (The Speakeasy Society<\/a>\u2019s The Kansas Collection<\/em><\/a>) in a motion-capture suit and actually<\/em> in the room with you. His movements are mapped perfectly to your headset, and when he touches you (yes, it\u2019s all minor), you feel it. Further, the added touch of having Bates recite each and every line of dialogue, rather than have his words piped in through your headphones, really adds to the realism of having these terrifying spirits right in front of you. While I won\u2019t spoil more, Bates\u2019 multifaceted phantoms aren\u2019t the only beings you\u2019ll come across; Haylee Nichele\u2019s intense yet kind eyes may stick with you far after you leave the spectral plane.<\/p>\n Additionally, most of the items that you see can be interacted with. Large bedposts can be grabbed, chairs can be sat in, and even certain items can be held. This all serves to further immerse you in this world. Yet, this isn\u2019t a static world; it\u2019s constantly shifting before your very eyes. The bedroom that you first enter quickly shifts into multiple other locales that your ghastly guides take you to. It\u2019s these interactions, these environments, these surprises that provided some of my favorite moments in the experience and held my attention the entire time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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